One challenge in testing networking products is measuring vendors' claims of how green their products can be. Most of the time, during the course of reviewing, I just have to take vendors at their word. But it seems this might change in the near future.

On Tuesday, Ixia, a global provider of IP performance test systems, announced that its IxGreen solution and iSimCity facility will be used to measure the energy efficiency of Juniper Network's T1600 core router, a massive router used to handle huge corporate networks.

In addition, Ixia and Juniper Networks announced the formation of the ECR Initiative in conjunction with Lawrence Berkeley National Labs. The initiative is a framework for measuring the energy efficiency of network and telecom devices.

IxGreen is the industry's first "green" test and measurement solution that's actually integrated into the networking system, allowing for measurement of a device's power consumption at various load conditions utilizing real-world applications and traffic.

While the IxGreen tests are currently used only for networks of large scale, it's hoped that someday they can be used to rate regular home wireless routers, as well as other network devices. I'll let you know when I actually start implementing this in reviewing wireless routers here at CNET.

About the author

CNET editor Dong Ngo has been involved with technology since 2000, starting with testing gadgets and writing code for CNET Labs' benchmarks. He now manages CNET San Francisco Labs, reviews 3D printers, networking/storage devices, and also writes about other topics from online security to new gadgets and how technology impacts the life of people around the world.
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